Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

Engaging Learners with New Strategies and Tools

In order to increase student content knowledge, instructors could incorporate several approaches in their classrooms. Instructors can use their personal experiences as examples when presenting material to their students. Students are more likely to make connections with real-world experiences and problem-based learning. The use of multiple instructional strategies would also help build student content knowledge as well.

                                                              

There are several technological tools that are typically used outside of the classroom that learners could bring inside the classroom in order to enhance the learning environment. For example, the use of social networking sites can increase student engagement in the classroom. Students could create a group within Facebook that is specifically open to students of certain classes. The instructor can have minimal involvement, such as posting topics to discuss and monitor the online group. Students would be responsible for posting and responding to various topics on a weekly basis. Students may be more likely to participate in a discussion group on Facebook due to frequent use and the popularity of the site than on the discussion board that is provided through their university. Students likely visit Facebook throughout the day and could find it convenient to visit their class’ Facebook page. According to Marcinek (2010), it is important for students the students learning to go beyond the classroom. Instructors could also post information about the course or make announcements via Twitter, which could result in a high level of student engagement due to the similar level of popularity that Facebook has. The use of Skype for students to could expose students to their classmates that may be located in different parts of the world. Students have access to various social networking sites from the applications that are installed in their smartphones.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1dA1ERR-7zfd99vZXwtduPskQ6KLDcu4xySbwC4AGNOU/edit
(to see graphic organizer)

  

Reference

Durrington, V. A., Berryhill, A., & Swafford, J. (2006). Strategies for enhancing student interactivity in an online environment. College Teaching, 54(1), 190−193. 

Marcinek, A. (2010). Ten simple strategies for re-engaging students. Retrieved from http://www.edutopia.org/blog/reengaging-students-andrew-marcinek.